#1 BELIEVE THIS:

GOD'S NOT MAD AT YOU, he's mad about you!

Have you ever had days you felt like you weren’t good enough? Days you lost your temper with your family. Or days you made a costly mistake at work. Sometimes, days like these can snowball into weeks or even months of feeling like you disappointed the people around you...and you disappointed the Lord too.

My friend, the devil’s strongest tactic against you is to make you feel like God is angry with you.

His name in Hebrew is “ha-Satan,” which means “the accuser.” He’s the persistent voice of condemnation telling you that God is mad at you. He knows that once you believe it, he can trap you in defeat. He can trap you in the painful situations you’re in just by making you feel like you deserve to be in them—and God won’t help you out of them.

But the truth is this: God’s not mad at you. He’s mad about you!

Your heavenly Father loves you passionately, and He wants you fully assured and confident of His love for you.

You see, He doesn’t judge you by your actions, imperfect as they are. He judges you in Christ, in whom you have perfect righteousness (see 2 Cor. 5:21). Because Jesus took your sins and gave you His righteousness, you can be sure that God’s not against you but for you. And He wants you to know it and believe it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Beloved, see your heavenly Father standing with arms wide open to accept you and offer help in every area of need and weakness. With Him on your side, you can expect difficult situations to turn around. You can expect to see breakthroughs. You can expect to win the fight!

Discover how to uproot shame and guilt in Joseph’s latest series, Win the Fight.

#2

Play the right mental movies

Anyone who’s ever felt overwhelmed by negative thoughts knows that you can’t just turn them off. You can’t just block out worst-case scenarios. You can’t just shut down anxious imaginations. Most days, they’re just stronger than you are.

But here’s the good news: Your anxiety is not stronger than Jesus and His unchanging Word.

The devil can try to overpower you with his tactics of lying and intimidation. He can try to come against you with fearful thoughts and pessimistic projections of your future. But his lies don’t stand a chance against the truth of God’s Word.

The Bible is filled with words and images that have the power to renew your mind.

While you might not be able to stop the wrong mental movies from playing in your mind, you can replace them with the right ones from Scripture.

For example, if the enemy gives you a picture of being in lack, replace it with Psalm 23:1 NLT, “The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.” If he gives you a picture of catching a deadly disease, replace it with Psalm 91:7, “A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you.” If he gives you a picture of your children going astray, replace it with Isaiah 54:13 NIV, “All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace.”

My friend, I want to encourage you to discover what God’s Word says about you and your family. Fill your mind with the wonderful plans He has for you. Fill your mind with pictures of His provision, protection, and peace.

The devil might try to pull you into a downward spiral with his lies, but you have the Scriptures to show you the truth that sets you free. Armed with the eternal Word of God, you can win the fight!

Learn how to beat fear and anxiety in Joseph’s latest series, Win the Fight.

#2

Play the right mental movies

Anyone who’s ever felt overwhelmed by negative thoughts knows that you can’t just turn them off. You can’t just block out worst-case scenarios. You can’t just shut down anxious imaginations. Most days, they’re just stronger than you are.

But here’s the good news: Your anxiety is not stronger than Jesus and His unchanging Word.

The devil can try to overpower you with his tactics of lying and intimidation. He can try to come against you with fearful thoughts and pessimistic projections of your future. But his lies don’t stand a chance against the truth of God’s Word.

The Bible is filled with words and images that have the power to renew your mind.

While you might not be able to stop the wrong mental movies from playing in your mind, you can replace them with the right ones from Scripture.

For example, if the enemy gives you a picture of being in lack, replace it with Psalm 23:1 NLT, “The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.” If he gives you a picture of catching a deadly disease, replace it with Psalm 91:7, “A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you.” If he gives you a picture of your children going astray, replace it with Isaiah 54:13 NIV, “All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace.”

My friend, I want to encourage you to discover what God’s Word says about you and your family. Fill your mind with the wonderful plans He has for you. Fill your mind with pictures of His provision, protection, and peace.

The devil might try to pull you into a downward spiral with his lies, but you have the Scriptures to show you the truth that sets you free. Armed with the eternal Word of God, you can win the fight!

Learn how to beat fear and anxiety in Joseph’s latest series, Win the Fight.

#3

Get planted in community

Have you ever felt like no one really understands what you’re going through? Like no one understands the deep sense of melancholy that sometimes overwhelms you. No one understands the thoughts that keep you up at night—or why you even have those thoughts.

My friend, “no one understands” is exactly what the enemy wants you to believe. He wants you to feel like you’re the only one going through what you’re going through. He wants you to feel like you’re all alone.

When Jesus found the demon-possessed man in Mark 5:1–20, he was all alone. His demons had driven him into the mountains to live among tombs, where all he could see and think of was death. Isolated and tormented by terrible thoughts, he cut himself, hurt himself, and cried out into the darkness of long and painful nights.

You see, depressive thoughts thrive in the dark, cold atmosphere of isolation. But they melt away in the light and warmth of community.

God tells us in His Word to “resist him [the devil], steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world” (1 Pet. 5:9). My friend, you receive power and strength to resist the devil and his mind games when you are part of a community. Your burdens are lifted when you share your struggles and realize that you are not alone. More people in the body of Christ are facing the “same sufferings” as you than you realize!

Beloved, God wants you surrounded by people who can empathize with you and encourage you in His love and grace (see Heb. 10:25). Can I encourage you to find these friends? Maybe that means joining a local church. Maybe that means responding to the people who have already been reaching out to you.

When you get planted in community, you’ll be able to stand strong against the enemy’s mind games because you won’t be standing alone. Together, you can win the fight!

Find out more about the power of community in Joseph’s latest series, Win the Fight.

WIN THE FIGHT—HOW TO OVERCOME THE ENEMY’S TACTICS AGAINST YOU

Are you under attack by fearful, crippling, and defeatist thoughts? It’s time to overcome the lies of the enemy and win the battle against his mind games. Find out how you can overcome oppression and silence the voice of the accuser in this 4-sermon series that includes:

Under Attack? Put on the Armor of God!

Uncovering the Enemy’s Tactics against You

Uncovering the Enemy’s Tactics against You—Part 2

Live Bold Without Guilt and Fear

LIMITED-TIME OFFER

Get a FREE copy of No More Mind Games when you order Win The Fight (DVD or Videostream) today!

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LIMITED-TIME OFFER

Get a FREE copy of No More Mind Games when you order Win The Fight (DVD or Videostream) today!

MORE ABOUT NO MORE MIND GAMES

No More Mind Games was written to help people battling overwhelming discouragement and struggling to find a reason to live. Each chapter in this book shows you that you are not alone, not without help, and tells you why you can come out of the valley stronger.

In this book, you’ll find:

• Encouraging thoughts that will renew your mind with God’s Word.

• Grace-filled scriptures to meditate on and declare over yourself.

• Practical keys to break free from the strongholds of hopelessness and pessimism.